The
pro-life action of President Trump by reissuing and expanding the Mexico City
Policy (MCP) has resulted in non-US organizations that perform or promote
abortion choosing to continue their abortion work and to lose US funding
estimated to nearly $600 million in population control funding and much more in
overall health funding.
The MCP rightly recognizes that an organization’s funds are fungible
and that US contributions can enable the abortion work while the Helm’s
Amendment prevents direct use of US assistance for performance or promotion of
abortion as a method of family planning.

A campaign for donations to replace
lost US monies is underway with a number of countries pledging financial
support to She Decides, a fund established by the Netherlands to assist NGOs
most impacted by the life-affirming policy. At the top of the NGO list are
abortion industry giants International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and
Marie Stopes International (MSI). IPPF
estimates it will lose $100m in USAID funding.

The
European Parliament (EP) expressed
support for the abortion industry fundraising effort in its official recommendation to the Council on the EU
priorities for the 61st session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

The
EP stated its opposition to the Mexico City Policy referring to it in the
pro-abortion label of “the ‘global gag’ rule” which it considered to be a
“direct attack on and a setback for gains made for women’s and girls’ rights”
and called on the EU and its Member States to counter the policy by “significantly
increasing sexual and reproductive health and rights funding and launching an
international fund to finance access to birth control and safe and legal
abortion, using both national as well as EU development funding”.

On
March 2, Belgium, will host an international “She Decides” conference in Brussels along with
the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark, the
four countries have committed
a combined $32 million to replace US funds. Ministerial
delegations from twenty countries are expected to
participate. Sweden’s
Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate Isabella Lövin stated,
"She Decides is taking a stand for women's rights, in particular their
obvious right to decide over their own bodies. We will mobilise political and
financial support and show that there is a counterweight to the worrying
developments we are seeing in the US and in other parts of the world.”

Officials
expected to attend the conference and express support for the fundraising
effortinclude
European Commissioner for Development Neven Mimica, Executive Director
of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive
Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Deputy High Commissioner for Human
Rights Kate Gilmore and Assistant Director General of the World Health
Organisation Flavia Bustreo.

In
response to the Brussels conference,Obianuju Ekeocha,
President of Culture of Life Africa in a video entitled"The Dictatorship of the Wealthy Donor"addresses the delegates to the
“She Decides” meeting and raises her concern that countries in the West are
deciding what African women want. Ms. Ekeocha explains,

"Many countries in the West,
including Canada and the Netherlands have decided to come together to raise
funds. Not funds for food in Africa. Not funds for water in Africa. Not funds
that the Africans can use as they want. Instead, they are gathering together to
raise millions of dollars that they are dedicating to the so called safe
abortion. What is actually most disheartening is that these western countries have
not even thought of asking the Africans what they want!"

According to Ms. Ekeocha,"This is the new colonialism. This is cultural imperialism. This is
the dictatorship of the wealthy donor."The video includes a number
of African women who “say No!” to abortion as Ekeocha addresses the governments
that are funding the abortion industry declaring, "What WE are asking for is
your support for safe delivery of African babies!"

Addressing the issue from the European context,Maria Hildingsson, Secretary
General of the European Federation of Catholic Family Associations (FAFCE)
recalls that the EU has no competence to fund abortion services: "As recalled in the resolution adopted by the European
Parliament on 10 December 2013 so called 'sexual and reproductive health and
rights', often interpreted as including access to abortion services, is not
part of the EU competence."

Additionally Hildingsson explains, “Indeed, the
resolution states: ‘the formulation and
implementation of policies on SRHR and on sexual education in schools is a
competence of the Member States’.She expresses her shock at
the participation ofEuropeanCommissioner for
Development Neven Mimica stating that "the "She Decides"
initiative is openly calling for funding of abortion services and it is
astonishing that the European Commissioner in charge of development takes part
in an event organised by such an initiative. Both the European Commission and
the European Council have clearly statedthroughout the years that
abortion is not part of EU's competence. Hence, it is truly contradictory to
see his name in the programme as it comes forth as an endorsement of the
"She decides" campaign.

“Moreover,
there were nearly 2 million EU citizens who signed the One of Us European
Citizens' Initiative which called on the European Commission to stop any
funding of development aid that involves abortion.FAFCE calls on Mr Mimica to
refrain from supporting initiatives that fall outside the EU competence, lest
the European Commission wants to be inconsistent with the treaties. There are many African
and European voices asking for safe deliveries and support for maternal
health, not for abortion - may their voices be heard across the globe!"